Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/85

 Qbfervations on their language. 7 j

radical or derivative verbs to exceed three or four fyllables ; as we fee by this, which, though compofed only of two vowels, or ihort fyllables, is yet fo greatly deflected. With them two negatives make an affirmative, as Ak-bijb-ko-qud, " I mall not drink-," add the ftrong negative termination A-wa, it is, " I will certainly drink." An affirmative queftion frequently implies a ftrong negative -, as Ai-a-rd-ta-ko-a, literally, " will, or mould, I go ?" that is, " I really will not, or mould not go :" and on the contrary, a negative query imports an affirmative aflertion ; as A-kai-u-qua-ta-ko-a^ " mould not I go ?" or, " I furely mould go." Ee-d-ko A-pd-ret Sa-kdi-a- qua-ta-ko-a^ is literally, " if I ate, mould not I be fatisfied ?" which implies, " if I ate, I mould be fully fatisfied. To drinking, they apply a word that lignifies content ; and indeed, they are moft eager to drink any fort of fpi- ritous liquors, when their bellies are quite full. When they are tired with drinking, if we fay to any of them, Un-ta Ang-go-na Che-ma-hijh-ko-la Chit, " Well, my friend, I will drink with you ;" Che-a-yook-pa-cbee-re T'oo-gat^ " for, indeed, I rejoice in your company ;" he replies, Hm-a^ Ook-ka Hoo-me Hijh-ko Sa-nook-td-ra, which is, " No ; for I am content with drinking bitter waters." They conftantly prefix the fubftantive before the adjective, and place the accufative cafe before the verb. If we tranflate the following words, Ook-ka Pantr^e Hum-ma Law-wa A-hi/h-ko ie Bta fas, they literally fignify, " yefterday I drank a great deal of red-grape water," meaning claret. Thus they fay, Tik-ke-ba, Ing-glee-Jhe Frenjhe Ee-lap A-bingga E-tee-be, " formerly, when the Englifh and French fought againft each other " Fren-Jbe Ing-glee-Jhe A-be-td-le" the French were killed by the Englifh."

The verbs are feldom defective, or imperfect : though they may feem to be fo to perfons who do not underftand the idiom of their language, they are not; they only appear as fuch by the near refemblance of words, which con vey a different meaning v& A-hii-a^ " I go," Sa-kai-a, " I am fatisfied with eating," and Sal-kai-a^ " I am angry, crofs, vexed, or diflurbed in mind ;" Sbee-a, Cbe-kai-a^ and Cbil-kai-a^ in the fecond perfon ; Ai-a* E-kai-a^ and Al-kai-a* in the third perfon .fingular. A-pee-fa fignifies " to fee," and Al-pee-fa, " ftrait, even, or right ; Al-poo-e-ak, the general name of mercantile goods, I fubjoin, as fuch a word is uncommon with them ; they feldom ufe fo harm a termination. I (hall here clofe this argument, and hope

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